This box, bought on a holiday to the USSR in 1981, is in excellent condition.
It has been safely kept in the dark.
The lid is finely painted with a scene from the firebird folk tales. The rest of the outside is black. The interior is red. The original sale ticket is with the box, dated '1981'.
The base has four feet. The box has subtle shaping.
The lid is signed.
Included is a coin, dated 1980, loose change from the same holiday trip.
The photos show reflections as the surface of the box is glossy.
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Measures (approx),
(lid top 15.5 x 7) x 3.3 cm
box interior 14 x 5 x 1.7 cm
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The ticket says it is an authentication certificate grade 1-e for a factory of artistic lacquer miniatures made of papier mache.
Souvenir box S-AV 55J-A
'The fire bird' (translates as 'Hot Chicken'!).
Quantity 1 Size 17x7 Price: 32 roubles 00 kopeks. 29 June 1981 Controler 1.
The word by the ticket might be Ivanovitch.
On the front of the box we get Jar ptitza (Fire bird).
Maybe P. Jopooy in the middle and Toraeva on the right, but we are not sure.
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Please take as seen.
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>>> lacquer art
developed from the art of icon painting.
The icon painters, who previously had been employed by supplying not
only churches but people's homes, needed a way to make a living. Thus,
the craft of making papier-mâché decorative boxes and panels developed,
the items were lacquered and then hand painted by the artists, often
with scenes from folk tales. ... says Wikipedia
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Postage can be merged and the excess returned.